Boob Camp July 2014 Digital Fashion Show

Not only did Boob Camp July 2014 just finish, but it went back to back with a panty class and a beginner bra class. So our Digital Fashion Show has lots on the runway today!  I love Boob Camp. It's a week where you can do what you want in…

Multiple Births at the Enchanted Castle

Just arrived at the store - the four colours of power nets we have been waiting for! These are all the Regular Power net FP-1, 60" (150 cm) wide, with a blend of nylon and spandex. It is the firmest power net we have for bra backs. It seems…

Far far away – A “slight” miscalculation

Today we went to the Vasa Museum. This was my second time there in as many years but this place fascinates me. The Vasa was a ship built in Stockholm which sunk in the harbour on her maiden voyage in 1628.The Vasa was built in the shipyard in…

Far, far away – On stage with ABBA

Today was a sightseeing highlight for me. We went into Stockholm and walked along the street. You can see the agrand Hotel at the left with the flags...temporary home to many rock stars who perform in the city.Here's the Stockholm Theatre along…

Far, far away – classes are over

Classes are finally over but this is always a bittersweet time....I have to say goodbye to my new Friends but yet I know they are going home with new knowledge and hopefully inspiration to make themselves some beautiful bras.We did a class on…
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Far far away – Shelley Digital Fashion Show

The Shelley class finished today far far away in Stockholm, with 14 students making my Shelley bra pattern, with a four-piece cup, split lower cup and a built- in power bar. So without further delay, here is the Shelley digital fashion show! First…

Far, far away – surprise project

Yesterday afternoon we started a project you may not have seen before. That's because I have never posted pictures of any finished garments before today. EVER! But today, you will have the surprise I hinted about a few days ago.The students…

Far, far away – fun with foam

For the last day and a half, the ladies in Stockholm at the 2nd annual European Bra Summit have been making bras with the cups of pre-formed foam. Some call them contour cups, but we call them foam cups. We had five ladies from all over Sweden,…

Far, far away – First class beginners!

The first beginner bra class is over in Stockholm and what a first class group they were! As soon as they settled in yesterday morning, they were eager to sew.The language barrier was not a problem, as their English was WAY better than my Swedish!…

Far, far away – midsummer fun

My first full day in Sweden and it started off with a trip to my favourite Swedish grocery stor - Ica Maxi!Ica Maxi has everything from clothing to groceries and lots of whatever you might want! Apparently, the Ica Maxi in Haninge, which is…

Countdown to Sweden

On Wednesday, I will be leaving for Sweden for 2.5 weeks, where I will be teaching bra classes again this year.  If you haven't been to Sweden, here it is, a large part of the country is coastline. I will be in Stockholm, which is  the…
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Thin is In!

Thin is In! I guess some people are concerned about going ‘thin on the top”, but today’s post is about going thin on the bottom! In the case of a bra band, thin is in!  You may ask, why would you want a thin band? Does your band roll…

Far Far Away – hugs all around

It is hugs all around and pack it up for another year. Sadly, today is the last day of the corset class and the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference. Both are coming to an end this afternoon. Just after lunch I said good byes to Margaret, Noreen…
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Far far Away – Corset Building

The Saskatchewan Stitches Conference is drawing to an end, but our corset building class is just beginning. We have a small but enthusiastic class of corset builders. Corsets have gained some recent popularity as a garment to wear on the outside,…

Swim Week – Ready for the Beach

The ladies in Swim Week, my 5 day swimwear class were busy finishing up their suits today. That means they will soon be ready for the beach! One lady decided to add coloured piping to the princess seams. But no fabric could be found until....we…

Day 7 – Making cheesecloth into water

Today was the second and last day of the landscape class taught by Heather Grover. Yesterday I got my layout of the waterfall done, more or less. Today I started adding textures and shadows.Look at how layers of tulle over any fabric can simulate…

Day 6 1/2 – Landscape layout

I am taking a class this afternoon at SSC! This is a first for me. The class is called Landscape Quilting, and although I am not planning a quilt by any means, one certainly could incorporate all these elements into their quilting projects.The…
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Far Far Away – Shelley Digital Fashion Show

When students finish their Shelley bras, it's time for the Shelley Digital Fashion Show.  Shelley is my designer bra with a split lower cup, a power bar on the side for push-ahead support, and a lace upper cup. Shelley always looks great…

Day 5 – When the lights went out

Today was the first day of out Shelley class and they won't be finished until tomorrow, so I won't have photos of any Shelley's until then. However an interesting thing happened tonight.Tonight was my night as the "live entertainment" part of…

Day 4 – before and after

Today was the final day of the beginner bra classes at SSC, here in downtown Muenster, Saskatchewan. We had 12 happy bra-makers sewing their Classic bras for two days. Today they took them home along with the pattern that had been adjusted to…

Day 3 – Things to do on a Convict Ship

We started another bra class today at the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference in the tiny hamlet of Muenster. The town is home to a monastery where, each spring, hundreds of enthusiasts of sewing, quilting, knitting and other needle arts gather…

Day 2 – Nina’s Arrival

Nina's Arrival Back in the fall of 2013, I got a call from Margaret, of Bras Bold & Beautiful, asking if I still wanted a Bernina 930. Apparently she was teaching bra-making in Edmonton at Central Sewing Machines and one had just come in…

Far, far away – Day 1 SSC

Today was the first day of the first bra class at the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference (SSC). The class didn't finish their bras but that's not at all unusual. Tomorrow they will finishIn the evenings, we always have some great group activities.…

Far,far, away – first day at St. Peter’s

Yesterday was a day of firsts for me.First, I was denied access to my flight out of our local airport because I was five minutes beyond the 45 minute boarding time cut off. Five minutes!  For "safety" reasons, they said they could not let…

Saskatchewan Stitches!

If you have been reading this blog, you may remember that every year I go to the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference, which is held in a most unusual location - a monastery! Yes, a real monastery in downtown ( I am kidding!) Muenster, where the…

Re-purpose a Nifty Notion

Re-purpose a Nifty Notion If you own a cover stitch machine, you may be aware that it can do some amazing things. One of the things it can do is to make 3/4" (18 mm) strapping for bathing suits, sundresses etc. A smaller version in a 3/8"…

Lock Stitches, not Horns

Lock stitches, not horns In my cover stitch class, I often hear women say they have owned a machine for years, but it hasn't been out of the box! Are we intimidated by this funny looking machine? Often, we don't get lessons on the machine when…

Dyeing in the Kitchen

After the last post on dyeing, I thought I would share a list of the items that we have dyed successfully. Generally speaking, nylons and nylon/spandex blends dye very well, but so do some metals and plastics. Test to be sure. I have had some…

Dyeing for Colour

Roses are redViolets are blueNo coloured elastics?Here's what you do!Yes, you can create custom colours to match your fabrics so your elastics, findings and hardware will all be colour co-ordinated. Here's a bra that started out as white fabric,…

Countdown to Monastic Life

In 10 days, I will be leaving for my annual migration to the lovely rural hamlet of Muenster, Saskatchewan. There will be a surge in population that the town has come to expect at this time of year. Like the annual migration of mallard…

Solutions for Sloping Shoulders

When I look at all the cute bra fashions online and in magazines or catalogues, a lot of them have what is referred to as "wide set straps". Look at the bra on the dress form below. This is a bra with wide set straps. The straps are set more…

Pirate’s Passion – the Sunburst Bra

Pirate's Passion - the Sunburst Bra Pirating or knocking-off...those are both very strong words for the act of copying someone else's lingerie designs. In fact, some would consider it stealing. Mostly, I agree with that, especially when it…

Boob Camp May 2014 Digital Fashion Show

Boob Camp May 2014 was over yesterday, and while I wander around looking at empty spaces where these wonderful ladies worked so industriously last week, I know they have all gone home with some great new bras, plus all the knowledge they learned…